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John Sturgis
Dr. John Burgess Sturgis is a guest professor of physics at East Texas Tech in 1989, known for his work on radiocarbon dating. Dr. Sturgis is initially a pen pal of Sheldon Cooper, before the child prodigy audits his quantum chromodynamics course. Dr. Sturgis is instantly smitten with Sheldon's Meemaw and they begin dating, much to Sheldon's approval. John enthusiastically seeks romantic aid via the ever-prying Sheldon, who steps over bounds interfering with their courtship. Sturgis shows what he believes to be 'machismo' when vying for the love of Meemaw against another suitor, which he wins, leading to the creation of young Sheldon's first relationship contract. He is eccentric, wears a tweed jacket with elbow patches, and rides a Schwinn Speedster since he doesn't drive. He knows how to cook Szechuan cuisine using his travel wok, due to his biking through China. Meemaw describes him as "a brilliant, bicycle-riding teddy bear" and, further, has elucidated he is "smart as hell, gentle, and funny (not always on purpose)." Meanwhile, George Cooper says he sounds like Sheldon. A role model to Sheldon, Dr. Sturgis shares many characteristics with his little counterpart: comfort with rules; attention to safety; penchant for dispensing knowledge; and confusion regarding social interactions. Also similar to Sheldon, he has a poster of Richard Feynman in his room and attempts to emulate the famed physicist's lifestyle, such as only having one flavor of ice cream for dessert over the past thirty-five years (in order to have one less decision in his life). He even shows interest in trains, too. John's eccentricity may be masking a more serious mental health issue. In the second season finale, "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast," the impending Nobel Prize ceremony appeared to have triggered an episode of psychosis. He tried to commandeer the university's mainframe computer (and ran when discovered), and Meemaw found him outside her house late at night, plucking crabgrass out of the lawn one blade at a time. After missing a dinner date and finding out that he missed several of his classes, she found him on the roof of his apartment building in the middle of a psychotic episode, attempting to "become one" with quarks and neutrinos. She was able to talk him down and took him inside, as he lamented the fact that he hadn't, and likely never would, win the Nobel Prize, but expressed confidence that Sheldon would do so one day. Later, when Mary Cooper went to console Sheldon at his Nobel listening party (which no one came to), she told him that John wouldn't be there because "he's not feeling well." It's revealed at the beginning of Season 3 that he was placed in a mental institution following his breakdown and as a result Sheldon is no longer his student. In the episode "A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship", John is discharged from the mental institution and visits the family shortly after. After dinner, at Meemaw's house, John reveals that he feels like they shouldn't continue their romantic relationship and would be happy if they remained friends. This leaves Meemaw upset and threatens to call Ira to call him for a date, in which John naively encourages. After Meemaw hangs up, she is still upset the next day. After Sheldon wants John to visit him, against Mary's will, John comes over later to see Sheldon. After they eat dinner, George Sr. decides to take him out to a divebar, while Meemaw is on a date with Ira. John and George Sr. discusses his breakup with Meemaw and tells George that Meemaw was his first girlfriend and probably his last, because he hadn't have an episode in an long time and didn't think it would happen again and so he broke up with Meemaw to prevent her from going through that again. After this, John tells George that he can ask him anything about marriage, like intimacy issues, communication issues and problems in the bedroom before he gets John to play Pool with him. After Meemaw's dinner, Ira decides that he doesn't want to date her again because he doesn't want to have his heart broken because it is obvious she's still attached to John. John and George are playing pool before George says that everyone at the divebar knows him (to make him look cool) and then John decides to toast to the entire bar that he thanks George for taking him here and listening to his woes. Category:Characters